Bath-tub seat.



L L. NICHOLS & 0.1. OLSON.

BATH TUB SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB 20, 1917.

1,240,479. PatentedSept.18,1917.

2- SHEETSSHEET I.

J. L. NICHOLS & 0.1. OLSON.

BATH TUB SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, 1917 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2-.

Qwuwwboz U-JULcS'O L CfZ'A 60/ 10 [6 I of ltluskegon and JOHN L. NICHOLS ANDCHARLES J. OLSON, 0F MUSKEGON, -1VIICHIGAN.

BATH-TUB SEAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

Application filed February 20, 1917. -Seria11 T0. 149,893.

T 0 all whomit may concern: I

Be it known that we, JorrN L. NrorroLs and Grmnnns J. OLSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Muskcgon, in the county State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bath-Tub Seats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates tobath tub attachments, and more particularly to a seat atachment which may be readily applied to and removed from the side wall of the tub and which may be adjusted along the said side wall to any desired point to suit the convenience of the person using the same.

The invention also aimsto provide in devices ofthis class, means whereby the seat may be adjusted to occupy aposition within the tub or exteriorly thereof as may bedesired and in either case may be adjusted to the desired elevation.

Another aim of the invention is to so construct the device that after the same has been disposed in position upon-the wall of the tub there will be no likelihood of-the device slipping or overturning or becoming otherwise disarranged, nor any likelihood of the seat accidentally lowering after having been adjusted to the desired elevation.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device applied to a tub, the seat proper being adjusted to position within the tub;

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, of the device embodying the invention applied, the seat proper being shown in full lines within the tub and in dotted lines adjusted to position exteriorly of the tub;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 3-3 ofFig. 2;

Fig. at is a perspective view of the member which supports the seat proper;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lining member for the standard of the device;

Fig. 6 is a horizontalsectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 isa horizontal sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates in general a tub of the ordinary type provided withthe usual roll 2 at the top of the walls thereof. The means provided for supporting the seat proper of the device is, generally speaking, in the .nature of an in- .verted U-shaped standard, one :leg of which the drawings.

.ings.

of the portion 7 of the supporting stand is-indicated by the numeral 3 and the other by the numeral l, the legs being designed to lie respectively within and exter'iorly of the tub and the leg 4t being, as will presently be eXplained,-provided with an adjustable foot to rest upon the floor, as shown in Fig. 2 of In order that the supporting standardstructure may possess the requisite strength, it is preferable, although not a'osolutely essential, that the same be formed from material corresponding to T-angle iron, the head flange or wing being indicated by the numeral 5 and the stem flange or .wing being indicated by the numeral 6. The

legs 3 and 4 are connected at their upper ends by a portion 7, which is preferably curved on the arc of a circle, which, when the standard structure is assembled with the wall of the tub, is substantially concentric to theroll 2 at the top of the said wall. In order that-the device may be prevented from slipping along the wall of the tub and from twisting or overturning, there is provided a lining member preferably of the structure shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings. This lining member includes a substantially semi-cylindrical head 8 which is preferably of sheet metal and is provided upon its concave side with a lining sheet 9 preferablyof rubber. The head 8 is of a length greater than the width of the portion 7 of the sup ortin standard structure and is secured to the inner side of the wing 6 of the said portionof the standard by means of screws or othersuitable fastening devices 9 which are secured through the head 8 in the manner clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 5 of the draw- Thus the lined head 8 will rest throughout its length upon the roll 2 at the wall of the-top of the tub and being of a length considerably greater than the widtlci structure, will prevent overturning of the said structure. Furthermore, the lining 9 being of friction material, such as rubber, will preventslipping of the head along the said roll of the tub wall. At that longitudinal edge next adjacent the leg 3 of the supporting standard, the head 8 is provided ,or formed with adownward extension 10, which is secured .at intervals by means oi screws or other suitable fastening devicesll to the face of the wing 6 of the said leg and this extension 15 provided atits-lateral edges which is also preferably, of rubber or other suitable friction material and may be separate from or constitute an extension of the comprises a lining sheet 9, it being understood that the strip 14 will rest against the inner side of the wall of the tub in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings and will further prevent slipping of the device along the wall of the tub. In order to brace the outer leg 4 with relation to the wall of the tub, an arm 15 is pivoted, as at 16, to the flange 6 of the leg 4 and the outer end of this arm is designed to engage against the outer face of the wall of the tub in the mannerolearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings and is provided with a roller 17 a to prevent marring of the tub. The arm is limited in its downward swinging movement by engagement of a lug 17, formed thereon, with the said wing of the leg. Thus it will be understood that when it is desired to remove the supporting standard structure from the wall of the tub the arm 15 may be swung upwardly upon its pivot so that as the struc ture is moved bodily upwardly this arm will clear the roll 2. On the other hand, when it is desired to apply the device to the wall of the tub it is only necessary to lower the same to position straddling the said wall, as shown in Fig. 2, the arm 15 riding over the roll 2 and dropping into position engaging the wall of the tub.

The seat proper is indicated in general by the numeral 18 and the same may be of wood or any other suitable material and is preferably circular in marginal contour and the said seat is supported from the standard structure by means of a bracket member designed to adjustably engage the legs of the standard structure in a manner to be presently explained and provided with a substantially semi-annular attaching portion 19 which embraces the rear side of the margin of the seat and is secured thereto in any suitable manner. The bracket member fiat-sided vertically disposed body 20 which upon its rear side is pro vided, preferably substantially mid-way"be tween its upper and lower edges, with a flat-sided horizontally disposed shank portion 21 from which the attaching portion 19 extends and extending rearwardly from the rear edge of the said shank portion 21 in spaced parallel relation are pins 22 which fit into suitable sockets 23 formed in the seat 18, it being understood that these pins prevent warping of the seat and assist the portion 19 in supporting the same. At its opposite vertical edges, the body 20 is formed upon its forward face with cheek pieces '24 which occupy parallel vertical planes at right angles to the body 20 and each of these, cheek pieces is formed upon its inner face with a pivot stud 25, the cheek pieces being designed to extend bewhich the supporting side the edges of the Wing 5 of the legs 3 and 4 of the supporting standard structure with the pivot studs 25 engaging behind the said wings 5 at opposite sides of the wing 6, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Upon its inner face and substantially at its upper and lower edges, the body 20 is formed with substantially cylindrical teeth 26 and 27, respectively, and these teeth are designed to engage in sockets 28 and 29 formed respectively in the outer sides of the legs 4 and 3 of the supporting standard structure. Thus when the seat 18 is to be supported within the tub and upon the leg 3, the tooth 27 will engage in one or another of the sockets 29 depending upon the elevation to which the seat has been adjusted upon the said leg. l/Vhen it is desired to move the seat 18 to position to be supported by the leg 4 at the desired elevation, the forward side of the seat is swung upwardly a short distance so as to move the tooth 27 out of engagement in the socket 29 after bracket member is moved bodily upwardly upon the leg 3 and thence around the connecting portion 7 and downwardly upon the leg 4. When the seat has been adjusted to the desired elevation upon this leg 4 the forward side of the seat is allowed to drop whereupon the tooth 26 will engage in one or another of the notches 28, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

It will be understood that due to the engagement of the pivot stud 25 behind the edge portions of the wing 5, the supporting bracket member may have rocking movement upon either of the legs of the standard and in order to prevent accidental rocking of the bracket member which would be likely to result in disengagement of the teeth from the sockets in the said legs of the standard, there is provided a wedge com prising a body 30 which may be connected with the bracket member by means of a chain or other suitable flexible connection 31 to prevent its loss, and projecting from the lower side of the body member are spaced portions 32 designed to straddle the teeth 26 or 27 as the case may be, the wedge member being insertible between either of the legs 3 and 4 and that end of the body 20 of the bracket member from which projects the tooth whichis at such times idle, or in other words, not in engagement with one of the notches 28 or 29. Q

As before stated, the leg 4 is provided at its lower end with a foot designed to rest upon the floor and the wing 6 of this leg terminates short of the lower end of the leg as a whole, as indicated by the numeral 33. The foot member is indicated in general by the numeral 34 and is provided with flanges 35 which engage 5 of the said leg 4, a set screw 36 being behind the wing" lower end of the wing-6 end against the foot 34 threaded through the. said wing 5 below the and bearing at its flanges'35.

From the foregoing descrlptlon of the mvention-it will-be understood that the seat may be readily adjusted to the desired elevation either within .or exteriorlyof thetub and that the entire structure may :be adthe structure is .not in use it may be stored in a relatively small space.

Having thus described the invention, is claimedas new is: i

1. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame structure including spaced members, a seat, and means for supporting the seat mounted to be supported bodily solely upon either of the said spaced members selectively and independently.

2. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame structure including spaced members and a connecting portion, a seat, and means for supporting the seat movable from position upon and entirely supported by one of said members, along the connecting portion, to position upon and entirely supported by the other member.

3. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame structure including spaced members and a connecting portion, a seat, means for supporting the seat movable from position upon one of said members, along the connecting portion, to position upon the other member, and means providing for vertical adjustment of the said seat supporting means upon each of said members.

4. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame structure including spaced members and an arcuate connecting portion, a member slidably fitting the first-mentioned members and the said arcuate connecting portion and adjustable along the said portions whereby to be positioned upon either of the first-mentioned portions, means upon each of the first-mentioned portions for adjustably supporting the said member, and a seat supported by the member.

5. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame structure including spaced members and a connecting portion, a seat, and means for supporting the seat comprising a member slidably adjustable along the said spaced portions and the said connecting portion, the first-mentioned portions being of rack formation, and the said member having means for coaction with the rack of either of the first-mentioned portions.

6. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame structure including spaced portions and a connecting portion, the connecting portion being curved and extending between the upper ends of the spaced portions, one of the spaced portions being de- What between the said and means upon the spaced portions signed to extend Within .a tub and the other spacediportion being ofgreater length and being designed to rest at its lower end .upon thesurface upon which the tub is disposed,

.means upon the connecting portion :for ,en-

ge of the tub,

designed to bracethe same with relation tothe gagement with the upper ed wall ofithetub straddled by the said strucdesigned .to be adjustably ture, and a seat supported selectively upon the said spaced portions and movable from one to the other along the said connecting portion.

7. In a device of the class described, a

supporting frame structure including spaced .membersand I ture being designedto straddle one Wall of a connectingportion, thestruca bathtub, means upon the connecting portion for engagement with ,the .top of the saidwall, a bracing armpivotally connected with one of the "spaced members and designed to engage againstone side ofthe .Wall and'to be swung into and out of .such engagement, and means for limiting the downward swinging movement of the saidbracing arm.

8. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame structure including spaced portions and a connecting portion, the connecting portion being curved between the upper ends of the said spaced portions, each of the said spaced portions being of rack formation, a seat supporting bracket having cheek portions designed to straddle the said spaced portions of the suporting frame structure and being adjustable therealong, pivot studs upon the said cheek portions engaging behind the said spaced portions, teeth upon the said seat supporting member designed to coact one with the rack portion of one spaced portion and the other with the rack portion of the other spaced portion, and a seat supported by the said member.

9. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame structure including spaced portions and a connecting portion, each of the said spaced portions being of rack formation, a seat supporting bracket assembled with the said spaced portions and slidable restraining the member against rocking movement.

10. In a device of the class described, a

supporting standard, a bracket member slidably adjustable thereon, a seat, an attaching portion carried by the bracket member and including members embracing the margin of the seat and secured thereto, and pins and extending u for coaction with the rack projecting from the bracket member between the said attaching portions and fitting in the sockets in the said seat.

11. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame structure including spaced portions and a connecting portion, a seat, means for adjustably supporting the seat upon either of said portions, a head disposed against the underside of the connecting por, tion, and a lining for the head of friction material, the said head and lining being designed to rest upon the upper edge of the Wall of a tub straddled by the said supporting frame structure.

12. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame structure including spaced portions and a connecting portion, a seat, means for adjustably supporting the seat upon either of said portions, a head disposed against the underside of the connecting por tion, and a lining for the head of friction material, the said head and lining being designed to rest upon the upper edge of the Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each,

wall of a tub straddled by the said supporting frame structure, the said head being provided with a downward extension secured to the inner side of one of the spaced mem bers and provided with a lining for engagement against the inner side of the wall of the tub.

13. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame-structure including spaced supporting members and a connecting por designed wall with one of the said members lying within the tub and the other exteriorly thereof, a seat, and means for supporting the said seat constructed and arranged to be supported upon either of said spaced members Wholly independently of the other spaced member.

In testimony whereof we afliX our signatures.

JOHN L. NICHOLS. 1,. 8. CHARLES J. OLSON. [Ls] by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

